life.

Blessings.
It's crazy how life can be completely falling apart and then little things happen to remind you it's all going to be ok.
My life has been a roller coaster lately. Everything always seems to be going wrong. There is so much to worry about and not enough time in the day to worry sufficiently.
Like how in the world am I going to finish this stupid independent study class so I can graduate? No idea....maybe I should get on that.
And then there's other things like where in the world would I live next year?
Guess what, that one worked out perfectly.
My family is going through trials and I'm not there to help.
Certain things at home are slowly working themselves out for the best.
Observations have not been the greatest and I feel like I'm in a teaching rut.
Monday went really well and I've been more motivated to find new and exciting things for my kids to do.
Thanks Heavenly Father.
Will I get a job next year? Where will I work? Will I like my new roommates? Will I ever actually have a valentine?
A whole new wave of worries.
That's life I guess.

j

ps: I hate Valentine's day. Hate it. It's the worst holiday ever. (I probably feel this way because I've never had a valentine).
Guess what..when you're a teacher Valentines is the best. I got Sees chocolate, a balloon, a rose, soap, and endless amounts of candy.
Who needs a boyfriend?
I've got great kids.

once upon a time.

Once upon a time...

I lived in the dorms at Helamen Halls...at one of the first activities I met some wonderful girls...


We all had a lot of great times together....
One of these girls is named Ashley Janeal, I'm Janelle Ashley, we bonded instantly.
We even have a picture of the first time we all met.

Becca, Janelle, Ashley, Hilary

We all had a lot of fun together that year...
We played in the snow...


Shared a love for BYU basketball and of course Jimmer Fredette


Went to dance parties...


Went of vacation to my favorite place....Danville


And we studied really hard.


Then freshman year ended and some things changed.
Becca got married!


And the rest of us went back to school.
We still stayed in touch.
Random trips to Costa Vida helped.


Then Hilary went on a mission.
And Junior year started.
That included Jason Reeves concerts...


and trips to the Cannon Center to relive the glory days!


Finally we were at Senior year.


And Karissa decided she wanted to go on a mission too.


So it was down to the three of us...Stacy, Ashley, and myself.
I had never in my life had a set of girls I was so close to. They became my family.
To say I'm blessed to know them would be an understatement.

Today I got an exciting text message from Ash. It was a picture of her finger and it had a ring on it. She is marrying Derek, a boy from our freshman ward she basically crushed on all year. It's the cutest.
Here we all are at the temple, Derek is the tall one in back. Little did he know that he would be marrying one of the most amazing people I know.

I can't believe where life has taken us all and will yet take us. I am so excited for her and Derek.
May 24th 2012...it's gonna be big.

Love,
j

Pathetic...party of one

Some days I look through everyone's engagement and wedding photos and...not gonna lie....get a little jealous. They're so cute and happy and in love.
Not fair.

Ok...I'm done feeling sorry for myself.

Back to my 25 kids...

ha!

Dear Intern...

Today was my last training class as an intern. We had to write a letter to an intern next year answering some questions. People always ask me about my internship and I think this is a good reflection of my experience and how I've felt along the way. Sorry if it is all over the place I only had five minutes to do it.

Dear 2012-13 Intern,

I wish I would have known… that this would by far the hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life. You can’t give anything less than 100% of your entire self. It will take everything you have mentally, emotionally and physically. There are nights you will stay awake worrying about tests and if you taught something right, or that naughty student you have. But I can promise you it will be worth it the first time you see their little faces, or you laugh at a joke together, or (my favorite) the first time you see the lightbulb go on, when a difficult concept just clicks and you walk away from that lesson so happy and proud of yourself and your students.

I wish I would have listened to…advice that was given to take one thing at a time. I was one who always knew this was something I wanted to do. I flew through cohort experiences and I thought that an internship would be no sweat. Let me tell you it is not. You cannot do it all at once. You need to make lists, prioritize. Remember that it all doesn’t have to be done by the first day of school. Don’t kill yourself trying to get everything done, you won’t

Also, it’s ok to make mistakes. I hate to make mistakes and this has been quite the eye opener for me. You will fail, you will do things wrong, but guess what, tomorrow is another day to come in and try again. That’s life. You have to be willing to learn and change and grow.

I wish I would have understood…that there is a good, better, and best application to teaching. Creating bulletin boards is good, figuring out the seating chart is better, but understanding the content and planning out lessons AHEAD OF TIME is best. It’s also a best practice to figure out your management plan, but realize that these things must be flexible. You won’t get it right the first time. Things will always be changing. You need to find what works best for you and your kids, and that won’t always be the same as another member of your grade level team or another intern.

I am glad I already knew…that I had a passion for teaching. My love of teaching and passion to do this has really kept me going during the hard times. I said that this was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but it is also the most rewarding.

The best thing about being an intern…is having your own class. You aren’t borrowing them from anyone. Years from now they will remember you as their 4^th grade teacher, you and no one else. You will be the one who makes a difference in their lives.

Janelle

Dear Portland.

You are very very green, I like that (Both versions of green, color and you like to save the environment). It seems you have an affinity for boats that I don't understand, but good for you. I appreciate that everyone is dressed in North Face or Ducks clothing.
j

sunrise.

While I sit in the airport waiting to go back to Provo (well to Portland, then Salt Lake, then Provo) I look to the left to see the most beautiful sunrise. It's red, and orange and just peeking out over the water...this is why I love California. It's beautiful.
What I love even more is that people stop to stare and try to take a picture of what they see. No matter what happens, we as a people still marvel at beauty and try to capture it anyway we can...and that amazes me.

favorite christmas memories.

waking up to the yellow walls of my room.
the way my house smells like home.
sunshine.
fam.
modern family marathons.
playing games.
new iphone game addictions.
baking chocolate eclairs.
christmas.
seeing mom cry when she opened her gift.
weddings.
sleeping.
friends.
John Dana.
green girls.
reading.
lazy days.
movies.
face off.
sweet treats.

i'm definitely blessed.
goodbye 2011, it's been a good one.

j